Photo: Heidi Anderson/Hallowbaloo

Hallowbaloo Music & Arts Festival, Honolulu’s signature Halloween street fest, is looking like a no-go for the second year in a row. The event had been planned for Chinatown on Oct. 26, but “The Hallowbaloo permit is still in flux. That said, people should plan on Hallowbaloo not happening,” organizer Mark Tarone says. “We will advise otherwise if something promising develops.”

The massive party typically took over Chinatown streets from Bishop to Smith, from just above Nimitz Highway to just below Beretania Street. Stages provided live entertainment, 16 bars took part and vendors and a craft beer village set up amid other features. Launched in 2008, Hallowbaloo became a tradition that took place every year except the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The 2022 crowd of around 10,000 was a record, with event-goers parading through the district in elaborate costumes, and the onstage costume contest with its $1,000 grand prize was always a huge draw.

Photo: Heidi Anderson/Hallowbaloo

After failing to resolve differences with the city over the event’s permit application last year, Tarone this year applied early. The problem, he says, is a bill working its way through the Honolulu City Council that would require street festivals to limit the sale and consumption of alcohol to areas “demarcated by barriers or fencing,” like a beer garden.

“It’s important to note that there are not problems with alcohol, the behavior of attendees or cleanup. The City is focused on ensuring free access to street festivals,” says Tarone, adding that verbal reports from Chinatown police immediately following the events have not mentioned these problems. “There are reasonable, reliable and cost-effective ways to guarantee free access without requiring beer gardens.”

Photo: Mike Vidales/Hallowbaloo

The same bill would force Hallowbaloo and other for-profit street festivals to hand over some profits to the Waikīkī Business Improvement District and the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association. It was the increasing frequency of street closures for events in Waikīkī that prompted Bill 50, which is still going through hearings and has yet to become law.

SEE ALSO: All the Spooky, Scary, Tricksy Halloween Fun on O‘ahu

So what is happening? As she did last year, Proof Social Club owner Jasmine Mancos is stepping up. She’s organizing bars for “Halloween in Chinatown: The Crawl of the Undead” on Saturday, Oct. 26. Proof, NextDoor, The Underground Lounge, The Dragon Upstairs and The Manifest will have live music or deejays and are offering access to all for one cover wristband available online starting today, Mancos says. More bars are expected to sign on.

BUY TICKETS

Wristbands are $20 presale, $30 at the door. Presale wristbands can be picked up at Proof Social Club from 4 p.m. on Oct. 26, “and if anyone has already bought passes from Pubcrawls.com, all of the participating bars have agreed to honor those badges as well, but we really encourage anyone who hasn’t yet to support our local crawl,” Mancos says. “You’re also more than welcome to come check out Black Shamrock, J. Dolan’s, Smith and Kings, EP Bar, Nighthawk, Hank’s Café Honolulu and Skull & Crown Trading Co.,” which will all be open with no entertainment or cover charge.

Photo: Mike Vidales/Hallowbaloo

Last year, NextDoor hosted a midnight costume contest. This year, the event moves to Proof, where the top prize for the midnight costume contest will be $100 plus a $100 gift card.

“It feels like tradition at this point to come celebrate Halloween in Chinatown. We want to keep that going even without the street festival,” Mancos says. “So go big. Go as big as if it were still a street fest. We want to see your costumes, we want to see your holiday spirit, and we want to have a lot of fun.”

Halloween in Chinatown: The Crawl of the Undead

Saturday, Oct. 26, from 6 p.m.

Online tickets: $20 presale, $30 at the door
All-in-one ticket includes access to all bars with live entertainment: @proofsocialclub, @nextdoorhi, @undergroundlounge, @dragonupstairs and @themanifest
Also open with no cover: @blackshamrocktavern, @jdolanshnl, @smithandkings, @ep.bar, @thenighthawkhi, @ilovechinatown808 (Hank’s Café Honolulu), and @skullandcrowntradingco

BUY TICKETS

If you haven’t dined at Little Plum, the new Mānoa restaurant from Hale ‘Aina Restaurateur of the Year Dusty Grable’s Lovers + Fighters, this is the chance you’ve been waiting for. Frolic’s Heart of Plum dinner on Oct. 10 presents five courses as happy vignettes told through food. With all forms of plums at the forefront, chef Casey Kusaka takes us to different of points in his life and career from California to New York and back home to Hawai‘i.

BUY TICKETS

And by plums at the forefront, we aren’t kidding. Ume shiso pesto is topped with uni. Duck breast gets a prune mui chamoy. And dinner finishes with the mochi churros that are already a favorite at Little Plum, only this time with a special kinako plum compote. Everyone gets an exclusive welcome cocktail (or a non-alcoholic version), and there’s also an optional beverage pairing in the works to enhance the plummy flavors of each dish.

SEE ALSO: Dusty Grable’s Little Plum Opens at Mānoa Marketplace

Kusaka is a graduate of both Kapi‘olani Community College’s culinary arts program and the Culinary Institute of America. Before joining Lovers + Fighters, he worked for Grable at Quiora and La Vie at the Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikīkī; and before that, worked at Momofuku Noodle Bar and Lincoln Ristorante in New York, Californios and Nisei in San Francisco, and Zia’s in Kāne‘ohe and 53 by the Sea in Honolulu. The multiplicity of cuisines in his resume explains Heart of Plum’s eclectic spread.

Seatings are staggered starting at 5 p.m. Little Plum is also offering the same menu for a single party of 10 at 5 p.m. on Oct. 10 in The Vault at Uncle Paul’s Corner Store, the gourmet shop next door. If you’re looking for a more private experience of this one-night-only dinner, this option is made for you.

Here’s a course-by-course preview. Scroll on for a link to purchase tickets at the end. Notes are in Kusaka’s own words, edited only for brevity:

Photo: Casey Kusaka

1^st: Plum Salad | Grilled Green Plum | Fresh Dino Plum | Whipped Tofu | Ume Vinaigrette | Aged Balsamic | Arugula

“During my time in California, we let the produce take the lead of the dish. The plums are prepared in a few different ways and brought together in a simple but flavorful manner.”

2^nd: Chazuke | Cured Kampachi | Umeboshi | Scallion | Bubu Arare | Fumet Tea

“Growing up, we ate pretty simple food, so sometimes all I wanted to eat was tea and rice. For my birthday, Dusty and the team surprised me with a ‘Mystery Basket Cook-Off.’ I made chazuke because of the innate feeling of family and home cooking.”

Photo: Casey Kusaka

3^rd: Spaghetti Pesto | Ume Shiso Pesto | Uni | Black Pepper Almonds | Parsley

“Fresh pasta courses bring me back to my days working in Italian restaurants. At Lincoln, we used to make and serve only fresh pastas, and it was some of the best food that I’ve ever had in my life. A pesto pasta is simple yet flavorful and brings out the freshness of the herbs.”

Photo: Casey Kusaka

4^th: Duck Breast | Prune Mui Chamoy | Pasilla Mixe | Chile Nuevo Mexico | Cucumber | Scallion | Cilantro

“Roast duck was reserved for special occasions. At Californios in San Francisco, I grew an appreciation for different chiles and flavors that brought back memories of Hawai‘i. The inspiration of Chinese roast duck plus Latin spices brings together some of my fondest and greatest moments of San Francisco.”

5^th: Mochi Churro | Kinako and Plum Compote

Ask anyone who’s been to Little Plum, and they’ll immediately tell you to get the churros. We had to make sure a plummy version was making an appearance on this menu, well, because churros!

This is a special menu. No substitutions allowed.

Frolic’s Heart of Plum Dinner at Little Plum

Where: Little Plum, Mānoa Marketplace, 2752 Woodlawn Dr.
When: Thursday, Oct. 10, staggered seatings starting at 5 p.m.
Tickets: $90 a person, includes food, tax and tip but not drinks
Drinks: Full bar plus wines, beer, sake and mocktails and other non-alcoholic options
Beverage pairing: Optional (Price TBD)
Parking: Free at Mānoa Marketplace

BUY TICKETS

Photo: Martha Cheng

The spice level at Seasons runs from 1 to 5, but if you request anything more than a 2, the server will talk you out of it. She and my friend went back and forth for a bit: “But I really, really love spicy foods,” my friend insisted. “I eat them all the time!” The server was adamant. And when the Taiwanese popcorn chicken came, we were glad she stood her ground—the five-spice-dusted fried chicken heaped with Thai basil, also fried so crisp you can eat them like chips (and you will), tingled and burned just enough. 

This is the new Seasons, bigger, and yes, bolder. What used to be Seasons Ice and Eatery, primarily a Taiwanese shaved ice and boba tea shop—which owner Brian Wang says was the first when it opened about 30 years ago—is now Seasons Taiwanese Eatery, expanded into a space across from Legend Seafood Restaurant at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza. There are now three types of beef noodle soups—Chef’s Special Spicy Broth, Retro Spicy Broth and Classic Beef Broth—with a thicker, rounder noodle than before, a much preferred match for the soups, which are more multi-dimensional than I remember.

Wang says his mom had first opened the shop to give his dad something to do and dumbed down the recipes for him. When Wang took over the business six years ago, his mom gave him the original recipes. 

Photo: Martha Cheng

The retro spicy is like the Taiwanese beef noodle soup most people know, warmed with star anise and cinnamon, spiced with a house-made chile sauce and topped with pickled mustard cabbage. The Chef’s Special is where Wang takes liberties, combining his “three favorite beef noodle styles,” he says: Taiwanese, Sichuanese and Vietnamese. The base is a traditional Taiwanese beef broth, slicked with Sichuan peppercorn oil, which lends a citrusy perfume along with mala, and topped with Thai basil and bean sprouts, a fresh touch borrowing from pho.

Wang decided to take over his parent’s shop after a career in personal banking and law school in Sichuan. His time in Sichuan is why there are Sichuan-style dishes on the menu, like  the dumplings in a sweet, spicy and tangy sauce. But Wang also worked in kitchens in Taiwan for about a year when he decided to run the restaurant—he’s introduced dishes less known outside of Taiwan, like oxtail in a black pepper sauce, duck blood tofu stir-fried with chives and pork intestine with pickled cabbage, displays of Taiwan’s whole animal eating. 

SEE ALSO: Your Insider Guide to the Mid-Autumn Festival 2024

The Taiwanese food most people know in the U.S. has roots in the mid-20th century of Taipei, when the Kuomintang fled mainland China to Taiwan and brought their recipes with them (including beef noodle soup). Wang was born in Taipei, but his parents are from Taitung, which has preserved an older style of food, one of boiled greens topped with a pork sauce (think of it as Taiwanese bolognese) and a similar pork sauce over rice. This can make the menu feel disjointed, and it’s hard to know where to start. But begin with the popcorn chicken and beef noodle soups (any of them), and then choose your own path, as Wang did.

Dishes about $10 to $20, BYOB.

100 N. Beretania St. Suite 109, (808) 744-0272, seasonseateryhi.com, seasons_taiwanese_eatery

As someone in his mid-thirties, there hasn’t been a club I’ve been more excited about than a new pop-up coming to The Lei Stand in Chinatown. The Prime Rib Club isn’t your standard bar-type club, nor is it membership-based. What started as a fun way to entertain by four friends who met while working at Vintage Cave Club is now their dream prime rib service: a three-course prix fixe dinner for $128, including tax, tip and ticketing fees.

The four—David Lukela, Sang Mun, Neale Asato and Sean Walsh—all have deep backgrounds in the local food and beverage industry, which may have something to do with why tickets for their first pop-up dinner in August sold out within minutes (two more are scheduled for September). While the price may change depending on the venue, the pop-ups at The Lei Stand will have a limited beverage menu of a couple of wines, cocktails and beers that range from $11 to $20. To match the Mad Men vibes, I order their take on a Manhattan ($20).

Waipoli greens salad. Photo: Thomas Obungen

Our hosted media preview starts with Lukela wheeling out a service cart. On it is a steel bowl of baby Waipoli greens, which he tosses with an alluring house-made shallot and papaya seed dressing. No matter how rudimentary, tableside preparations are rare, and with Lukela explaining the components of each course, the service and face time give the Prime Rib Club a personal feel.

Carving cart. Photo: Thomas Obungen

You’ll want to get your cameras ready when Lukela and Mun wheel out the main event. The roast, coated with herbs and salt and cured for three days to let the flavors soak in, is cooked low and slow at 250 degrees for three hours before it’s broiled at 500 degrees to form the crust. Inside the gorgeous crusty bark, the roast is cooked to a juicy pink.

The full plate. Photo: Thomas Obungen

Next to the prime rib are a buttery potato purée, classic creamed spinach and hurricane corn, a local spin on creamed corn with furikake and bubu arare. You can add au jus and creamy horseradish (and you really should), and you get a house-made shokupan bun to soak up every drop.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

While all this adds up to more than a pound of food, it’s more than the sum of its parts. This is the type of meal you treat yourself to as a reward for living another year or earning that promotion.

Frozen custard sundae. Photo: Thomas Obungen

As rewarding is Asato’s frozen custard sundae. Inspired by an Old Fashioned, his Asato Family frozen custard gets a quenelle of orange-scented whipped cream, “Old Fashioned” 10-year Knob Creek whiskey caramel, crunchy toffee bits and a maraschino cherry. If the meal wasn’t decadent enough, this finale puts you over the edge.

SEE ALSO: Affordable Splurge: Basalt’s $50 3-Course Prix Fixe

Lukela has led the kitchens of the Beachhouse at the Moana and ‘Alohilani Resort and taught culinary classes at Kapi‘olani Community College; now, he helps manage HB Baking, his wife Heather’s dessert shop. Mun was a certified sommelier at Basalt at Duke’s Lane and serves wine on call at The Pacific Club. Walsh worked under chefs including Alan Wong before becoming executive sous chef at Top of Waikīkī. He helped open Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco and works part-time at Hamada General Store.

The four plan to expand the offerings at future dinners with supplemental items to add to your plate or different choices of sides, and possibly a dessert cart in collaboration with Heather Lukela.

The next time my parents are in town, I’ll take them to the Prime Rib Club. It will require some vigilance: According to its social media, both seatings for the Aug. 18 pop-up sold out in two minutes. The team announces when tickets will go on sale on their website, so follow them on social media or sign up for email announcements for the best chance at getting seats. Either way, you’ll have to be quick.

Next dates Aug. 18 (sold out), Sept. 1 and Sept. 15. 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. 1115 Bethel St., theprimeribclub.com, @theprimeribclub

Photo: Hailey Akau

During my sophomore year of college, my Vietnamese roommate’s family regularly sent care packages filled with spices and coffee. Every morning, she filled a glass with ice and condensed milk, poured hot water over coffee grounds in a small metal filter set on top and let the coffee drip onto the ice and milk below. That was my introduction to Vietnamese iced coffee.

I hadn’t yet understood the nuanced flavors—why the brew tastes almost like chocolate or how the condensed milk enhances the boldness of the coffee. Cà phê sữa đá, as it is traditionally called, translates to coffee milk ice, but the drink is more than that.

The nutty, chocolatey flavor comes from its use of 100% robusta coffee beans, but you can really use any coffee with a bolder flavor and a higher caffeine content. Some recipes even recommend using the blend of dark-roasted beans and chicory from Café du Monde in New Orleans—with its similarly deep and earthy notes, this has become integrated into Vietnamese coffee culture in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: On Kapahulu, the Zen of Tea and Gelato

Cà phê sữa đá’s phin filter was introduced by the French when Vietnam was a colony. Its slow drip makes for a strong, concentrated brew. The filter is placed over a glass filled with ice and condensed milk. You fill the chamber with ground coffee and place the gravity press over it, then top it off with hot water and let it filter through the grounds.

Sweetened condensed milk is perhaps my favorite part of the drink. Its sweetness combines with the robusta beans to produce a perfect balance of bittersweetness. There’s more to its use than just taste though. The French introduced it among many items that are now staples in Vietnamese households, including baguettes, flan and coffee. Fresh milk was scarce, so canned milk offered a safe alternative.

Cà phê sữa đá is more than just iced coffee with condensed milk—there is a rich history behind each element. If you’re looking for a drink to switch up your coffee routine, here are my six favorite places to check out Vietnamese iced coffee.

SEE ALSO: All the Reasons Why Anh Chị Em Is My New Favorite Bakery

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 6: Morning Glass Coffee

The neighborhood coffee shop I grew up with makes the first cà phê sữa đá I tried on island; it remains a favorite today. The Vietnamese-style iced coffee ($7) combines the house medium roast cold brew concentrate with condensed milk—it’s not traditional, but it’s still delicious. Stop by for your morning coffee and pair it with a sprinkle cookie or a breakfast sandwich.

Open Tuesday to Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2955 E. Mānoa Road, (808) 673-0065, morningglasscoffee.com, @morningglasscoffee

SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU 2024: Food and Drinks on O‘ahu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 5: La Tour Café

This iced coffee ($5) is much milkier than others and lacks a super strong coffee taste. It’s premade and dispensed from a chilled machine, cutting down the wait time. If you don’t like bitterness in your coffee, this is a safer choice—plus you can pick up a buttery kouign amann to go with it.

Open daily, hours vary by location, multiple locations, latourcafe.com, @latourcafe

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 4: The Pig and The Lady

If you’re stopping by for lunch, you might as well order the Saigon Style Iced Coffee ($7) to prevent an afternoon kanak attack. The famed Chinatown restaurant’s version of cà phê sữa đá uses a mix of Café du Monde and Lion Coffee vanilla macadamia nut beans. It has a robust flavor, with a richness that pairs well with the vegan pho, pho French dip, bò lúc lắc or really anything on the menu.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., 83 N. King St., (808) 585-8255, thepigandthelady.com, @pigandthelady

SEE ALSO: The Pig & The Lady’s Staff Petitioned to Keep This Dish on the Menu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 3: Insomnia

This Vietnamese family-owned and -operated restaurant in Salt at Our Kaka‘ako serves the strongest cà phê sữa đá ($5.25) that I’ve tried. Their version is much darker in color, and the owners use a larger drip coffee filter to make it, increasing the ratio of espresso to milk. They offer two levels of sweetness—the higher sweetness is reminiscent of European drinking chocolate, while the medium sweetness maintains that strong espresso kick.

Open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 669 Auahi St., (808) 545-4160

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 2: Le’s Banh Mi

If you haven’t gone to Le’s Banh Mi for its freshly baked baguette sandwiches, you are missing out. Known for its top-quality banh mi, the shop also serves a very smooth Vietnamese iced coffee ($6) with a nice nutty quality and no bitter aftertaste. It’s also not super dense, making it the perfect drink to pair with a banh mi.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 808 Sheridan St. Suite 306, (808) 227-3066, @les_banhmi

SEE ALSO: Legit Banh Mi Lands on Top Floor of 808 Center in Honolulu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 1: Patê Vietnamese Cuisine

This small, family-run restaurant not only has delicious bún bò huế spicy beef noodle soup, it also serves my favorite cà phê sữa đá ($6.50). The espresso has very chocolatey notes and a richness like a bold dark chocolate bar. The espresso and condensed milk are premade and chilled, so the concentration is stronger before ice gets added. The sweet milk complements the bitterness without overpowering, and overall, it pairs great with a steaming bowl of noodles.

Open Monday, Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 11:30 p.m., 655 Ke‘eaumoku St. #104, (808) 940-5432, patehi.com, @patehiofficial

Editor’s Note: It’s lychee season again, as it was when this article originally ran in the summer of 2020. We just checked—Sun Chong indeed has Hilo lychee and expects the 2024 season will last about another week.

Photo: Martha Cheng

Louisa Sung doesn’t have time for my questions. Lychee season is just beginning—a couple of weeks ago, she received 500 pounds of lychee and was expecting to receive 1,000 pounds more. Through June, Sun Chong will move about 1,000 pounds a week, because the lychee trees are now in full swing, pandemic be damned.

Sun Chong has been my go-to spot to pick up lychee for years—it consistently has the sweetest fruit with small seeds. “We don’t bring in lychee from someone who just planted a tree,” Sung says. “We’ve been working with the same farms for over 20 years, so we know they have sweet fruit.” Sun Chong carries Hilo-grown Kaimana lychee, distinguished by its larger fruit size; red, relatively smooth skin; and sweetness.

SEE ALSO: You Voted: Here’s Your Top 5 Dim Sum Restaurants on O‘ahu

This year, for those wary of venturing into Chinatown, Sung launched online lychee preorders so you can pay in advance and just pick up the fruit. But preorders aren’t necessary—you can also walk in.

Over the past few months, I’ve come to Sun Chong to stock up on my pantry essentials, such as pi dan (practically made for quarantine times with its long shelf life), and have made new discoveries in the process, thanks to Sung, who runs the shop with her mother and auntie and has had recommendations for everything I’ve sought.

Coming in to replenish my lup cheong, as I reached for the vacuum-sealed package like those available in most supermarkets, she told me that they also bring in lup cheong from San Francisco. She prefers the former because it was what she grew up with, but since I grew up in San Francisco, I’m partial to the latter. The Chinese sausages come in loose pairs, linked with twine so they can be hung during the aging process, and they are firmer and less sweet than other lup cheong. Sun Chong sources them from Wycen Foods, which has made cured meats, including lup cheong and duck leg (which Sun Chong also carries), in San Francisco’s Chinatown since 1948.

Each time I cook up the lup cheong, I’m overcome with nostalgia and marvel that from Honolulu’s Chinatown, I can taste San Francisco’s Chinatown, and—for now—with a side of fresh lychee. It’s like the best of both worlds.

127 N. Hotel St., (808) 537-3525, sunchonghi.com, @sunchonghi

Photo: Melissa Chang

Many people who love yakitori are familiar with Hachibei, which has been a mainstay on Hotel Street in Chinatown for seven years. It’s part of a chain of 10 restaurants in Japan, but this Hawai‘i branch was recently acquired by the Westman Group, which owns other restaurants in town like Kaimukī Shokudo and Búho Cocina y Cantina.

If you didn’t know about the acquisition, you probably wouldn’t notice a difference in the price, quality or service. But subtle changes are coming, which is good news for diners.

Hachibei offers à la carte orders as well as an $80 omakase with about 15 items—some of them skewers, some prepared dishes—and goma (sesame) pudding for dessert. The omakase’s appetizer plate features some of my favorite bites from Kaimukī Shokudo, like their sweet potato salad and hamachi carpaccio. I love getting the best of both worlds in one spot. But for someone like me, the omakase is a lot, so I’d be better off with à la carte.

Photo: Melissa Chang

Just before this month’s Chinatown blackouts, however, Westman COO Ryan Ko announced a new happy hour omakase at Hachibei starting on July 2. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., a nine-course omakase for just $40 will include hamachi carpaccio, nagaimo ohitashi (mountain yam), local corn karaage, Okinawan sweet potato salad and five skewers—chicken breast with yuzu kosho, gizzards, tsukune or chicken meatball, pork belly and sukiyaki. The sukiyaki is one of my favorites, as it’s thinly sliced beef wrapped around chrysanthemum and enoki mushrooms, then you dip it in a beaten raw egg yolk.

Photo: Melissa Chang

If you want to order anything from the à la carte menu during happy hour, you still can do that as well.

SEE ALSO: Hawai‘i’s Senior Yakitori Master Has Opened His Own Restaurant

Photo: Melissa Chang

Whether you’re there for happy hour or not, I recommend you get a cocktail to go with your meal. Hey, you’re supporting Chinatown, right? Hachibei offers beer, sake, shochu and cocktails, but I’m especially impressed with some of their unique chuhai, or shochu highballs. One of the most popular is the mint honey lemon chuhai ($13.90), which I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world. I’ve also never seen the fresh-pressed tomato lemon chuhai ($10.90) but wasn’t brave enough to try it yet. You can also get “normal” ones like fresh-pressed lemon chuhai, oolong hai and ryokucha (green tea) hai.

Yakitori Hachibei is open from 5 to 11 p.m. daily. Starting July 2, they’ll be open from 5 to 10 p.m. daily, and happy hour will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Parking is available on nearby streets or in municipal parking structures, the nearest of which are the Smith-Beretania and Chinatown Gateway garages.

20 N. Hotel St., (808) 369-0088, hachibei.com, @yakitorihachibei_hawaii

Editor’s Note: So many of you turned out to help Chinatown over the weekend after the area, and some of Downtown, suffered an extended power outage that left businesses hurting. In this vein, we’ll be reposting some of our most delicious Chinatown coverage.

Photo: Mari Taketa

I went to Olay’s Thai-Lao Cuisine because a friend who’s a total food snob told me it had the best Southeast Asian food he’s had in Hawai‘i. But look who’s calling the proverbial kettle black—I’d known it was there, in a Chinatown spot that opened a year ago. But I’d never bothered going because after years of seeing Olay’s Thai curries, pad thai and spring rolls at farmers markets and food events (remember those?), why would I venture to Hotel Street for more of the same?

Only it’s not. My friend ordered entirely off the Lao side of Olay’s dual menu of about 50 Thai and 20 Laotian dishes. It’s this side that sings—an anthem to the flavors of Olay Somsanith’s native country, featured in the first place she’s not among other Laotians cooking Thai food and the first place of her own. Somsanith is the tiny woman in the beret you’ll see at her wok in the open kitchen. More than 40 years ago, in the chaos after a Communist government took power in Laos, she swam across the Mekong River, found her husband in a Thai refugee camp and with him, raised a family on the West Coast and in Hawai‘i.

Photo: Mari Taketa

To my mind, Olay’s Thai with its menu of stuffed chicken wings, Evil Jungle Prince and other modern-day Thai staples was Somsanith’s way of laying low until she could do right by her own food heritage. Olay’s Thai-Lao is like her: It has its secrets, and they’re worth discovering. You could do as most people do, order the favorite dishes you get at every Thai restaurant, but you would be missing an adventure. And you could, as most customers do, come into the Hotel Street storefront, order takeout and wait, socially distanced, in the winding dining room. But then you would be missing the hidden secret just beyond that’s as good as Somsanith’s native cookery: Chinatown’s best courtyard dining.

SEE ALSO: Chinatown’s New HK Café Has Retro Vibes and Legit Noodles

Behind the Hotel Street storefront, a courtyard with a waterfall and koi pond. Photo: Mari Taketa

Here are my top choices from the Lao menu at Olay’s Thai-Lao—the four dishes I find myself ordering again and again.

Photo: Mari Taketa

Sai oua (Lao sausage)

My first Lao sausage (this one, $12.95) was the motliest I’d seen, and it turned out to be the best. Cut into chunks, the loosely packed sausages of lightly fermented pork, lemongrass and pork skin exploded in the hot oil, producing crunchy, bouncy delights. The sauce on the side will set your mouth aflame, so be sparing. Every time since, our Lao sausages have come out as intact as the one at the left, which is very good, but I always secretly hope for the explosions.

SEE ALSO: Dash of Sazón Spices Up Hotel Street With Caribbean and Latin Fare

Photo: Mari Taketa

Kapoon (Lao curry noodle soup)

It’s not pretty, but this is my favorite dish ($13.95). It’s a gentle red coconut curry that anchors the base, richened by the minced pork I always choose (you can get it with beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu); sometimes, ribbons of softened pork skin twine through like slick, wide noodles. The takeout version is better: It comes with generous sliced cabbage, bean sprouts and chopped long beans that lift the rich dish with freshness and crunch.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Kua mee lao (Laotian pad thai)

Pad thai here isn’t what you think. The rice noodles are burnished with extra touches like palm sugar, oyster sauce and dark soy. It’s the last that lingers nicely on the finish. I’ve never met a pad thai I’ve liked outside Thailand. I like this one ($10.95 to $13.95 depending on topping), and it turns out it’s not Thai.

Photo: Mari Taketa

Tom khiem (caramelized pork belly)

Pork belly and boiled eggs simmered in a sweet-savory broth of coconut juice and fish sauce ($13.95), this is a more intense version of Vietnam’s thit kho nuoc dua. I’ve had it melty and I’ve had it firmer; either way, it’s worth dipping your spoon into.

For the record, I’ve tried a half-dozen other dishes at Olay’s Thai-Lao, several of them staff recommendations. Most were good, if not memorable. And most people like very much the nam khao, or Laotian crispy rice salad with crunches and tangy pork spritzed with lime. If you’re not familiar with funkier Lao flavors, I would avoid the bamboo stew. Reserve early and ask for a courtyard table under roof if it’s raining. Finally, Olay’s is BYOB.

66 N. Hotel St., (808) 536-5300, olaysthaihawaii.com, @olays_thai_lao_cuisine

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Akiyoshi

The nightmare on King Street began in the late evening hours of Wednesday, June 12. A cascade of events damaged underground cables that feed power to Downtown Honolulu, overloading Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Iwilei substation and cutting off power the next morning to Downtown, Chinatown and across The Capitol District. By noon, people were being sent home in droves as crews worked to restore power, which remained out most of the day.

Four days later, a fire on Monday night damaged more underground cables in several locations throughout Downtown and Chinatown. Again, whole city blocks and pockets of buildings, including 1000 Bishop St., where Frolic’s parent company is headquartered, sat in darkness. Businesses were forced to close again, without a solid timeline from HECO about when power would be restored. All have lost sales, many have lost inventories of perishable food and workers have lost wages.

Business insurance will help, but it won’t cover the cost of time lost preparing food. With paperwork and red tape involved in filing a claim and getting it approved, restaurants are likely months from seeing any relief. Businesses that have experienced a loss are encouraged to document everything and file a claim with HECO, once the damages have been assessed within 30 days of the incident.

What can you do to help?

A community walk planned this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. by Chinatown Neighborhood Board chair Ernest Caravalho and Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam aims to “bring positive attention to the Downtown-Chinatown area and generate interest in local businesses.” It will start at the new Inspiration Hawai‘i Museum at 900 Richards Street and stop at various spots in Downtown and Chinatown, highlighting various improvements made to the area.

Black Shamrock Tavern posted this plea on its Instagram:

“With (so far) three days of lost business in the last week due to two different power outages, the bars, restaurants, and shops in Chinatown have taken a hit. We ask you to come out this weekend to support our little community. Bring your friends and family to enjoy a meal, have a drink, buy a lei, do some shopping, take in some art, etc. at your favorite spots in Chinatown. Every visit helps our local businesses continue to thrive. Chinatown nō ka ‘oi.”

Downtown eateries were affected as well. Here’s who lost power this past week, along with comments sent to us or reposted from their Instagrams:

Asato Family Shop

“We will be checking all our stock to see what melted and needs to be donated away. Thank you so much to everyone who reached out to us to offer a helping hand. We feel so supported by our amazing community! We’ll be back to 100% and open on Sunday!!

“Unfortunately some of our friends down the street are still without power… Please go out and support the ones open trying their best to keep their doors open. We need to take care of each other when times are tough.” —Asato Family Instagram post

Ali‘i Coffee Co.

Baker Dudes

Bar 35

Black Shamrock Tavern

Bread House

Chi Kong Look Funn Factory

The Daley

Döner Shack Downtown

The Dragon Upstairs

Drip Studio HNL

“Since the outage began, we have faced significant challenges and losses: all of our food supplies have spoiled, unique coffee beans reserved and stored for our customers have been ruined, a substantial loss in sales, which is critical for our survival, especially as a small business. The commute back and forth to maintain our generator… is unstable and exhausting.” —Kelsie Mercado-Uehara, co-owner, Drip Studio

Duc’s Bistro

The Edge at 31 North

EP Bar

Fête

“Fête’s been open for eight and half years and maybe we’ve had [a power outage] once every other year, but never for this long. The level of communication from HECO needs to be clearer. I think about the loss of revenues, the loss of product and the loss of time. There’s a trickle-down effect to the small farmers and suppliers we work with that do not have orders from us to fill. I’m worried about the first-generation owners that will have a difficult time navigating the paperwork and red tape involved to get resolve from this ordeal.” —Chuck Bussler, co-owner, Fête

Fort Street Café

Ginger and Garlic

Giovedi

“Our employees, who depend on their paychecks and benefits to support themselves and their families, are the hardest hit. We’ve been forced to close for three days within the span of a single week. As a new restaurant that has been open for less than a month, this disruption is overwhelming. We are facing significant losses in revenue and perishable products. Not only have we lost all our raw ingredients, but we’ve also lost all the sauces and ragus that have taken countless hours to prepare. Much of the ingredients we use are from specialty purveyors that are not on the island, and even if power is restored by this evening, we will have to run a limited menu until we can restock our inventories.” —Bao Tran, chef and partner, Giovedi

Hawai‘i Dim Sum

HK Café

J Dolans

Jun Bo Chinese Restaurant

Kahiau Poke & Provisions

Lam’s Kitchen

Lee’s Bakery

The Lei Stand

Livestock Tavern

Local Joe

Lucky Belly

The Manifest

Maria Bonita Restaurant

Marugame Udon

McDonald’s

Morning Catch Poke

Murphy’s Bar & Grill

Nextdoor

The Nighthawk

Ocean Side Bakery

O’Kims Korean Kitchen

Obake

Ohana Dish

Olay’s Thai Lao Cuisine

The Other Side Diner

P27 Café

Paris Baguette

Pho Kim An

Pho Vietnam

Pho Que Huong

Pho To Chau

The Pig and the Lady

“This outage is not normal. Not for this period of time and my fear is this will continue more often with the rail construction coming in. It’s not ideal for the restaurants here to be without power for their food supply for days, let alone an hour. The ripple effect is real for the restaurants, employees and customers.” —Alex Le, co-owner, The Pig and the Lady

Pizza Mamo

Pō‘ai by Pono Potions

Proof Social Club

Rangoon Burmese Kitchen

Senia

Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery

“A tremendous thank you to all our employees, friends, family, loved ones, and community for the outpouring support and love during this time—reaching out to help, lending us refrigeration space and an oven to use, charging our battery packs at the substation, providing security, dropping off food and drinks, and the list goes on. Sorry for all the trouble this has caused each and every one of you but we really appreciate your patience as we try to navigate through this tough time.” —Sing Cheong Yuan Instagram post

Skull & Crown Trading Co.

Smith & Kings

Smith’s Union Bar

Subway

Sun Chong Grocery

“Day 3 and devastated to hear that we will not have power again today. We’re frustrated and tired but will still be open. We’re running off of 3 portable batteries that friends are helping us charge throughout the day. Please consider stopping by some businesses around us today! We heard some businesses who got power yesterday are out again today.

Thank you again for everyone that has helped us out tremendously already. We are so grateful for our community and will continue to extend out flash sale because we gotta keep the show going! Hilo Kaimana Lychee $7.99/LB!” – Sun Chong Grocery Instagram post

The Tchin Tchin! Bar

Tlaxcalli

Wing Ice Cream

“Sorry folks, won’t be open for the near future. Everything is melted.” —Wing Ice Cream Instagram post

Yakitori Hachibei

Yat Tung Chow Noodle Factory

YiFang Fruit Tea

Yong’s Kitchen